Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Fresh Duck Egg Pasta with Swiss Chard....Yum



This one of the most simplest yummy recipes I ever put together and it was a delight to make and eat.

The pasta is so easy to make all you need is 1 1/2 cups of flour, a sprinkle of salt and mix in 2 large duck eggs (preferably from Metzer Farms).
Just knead a bit until smooth and not sticky, sprinkling on flour as needed, then let dough rest as you prepare the rest. Put a pasta pot on to boil.

The smell of mixing the flour with the duck eggs is reminiscent of an expensive durum wheat pasta, which got my taste buds going.

Take 8oz or so of chevre and rub in the bowl where you plan to toss your pasta together with the sauce.

This is a time to multi-task a bit. Start prepping your toppings as the water comes to boil. Roll out your pasta, as thin as you can easily manage, don’t stress if it is thick, it’s just wonderful. Cut into ribbons with a knife. The pasta only takes 4 minutes once it hits the water so see below and time the two to come out at the same time.

My topping is so very simple. Dice the chard part of the Swiss and set aside the leaves. With a bit of olive oil heat your skillet until it is smoking and throw in minced garlic (use as much as you like) 1/2 of a small onion and the diced chard saute until onions are transparent. If you like add a handful of sliced mushrooms and cook until tender. Add onion medium diced tomato and at the last moment wilt the Swiss chard leaves in the pan. If you need to add a bit of water take it from your pasta pot.

Drain, toss and serve. Ahhhhhh..... PS a little parm on top doesn't hurt either!